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Val the Cookie Queen
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Hey Guys
I have not had proper training session at the gym for a couple of weeks, due to a hurt knee and a strained neck. I am actually in a filthy bad mood because of it, but no time to really feel properly sorry for myself as the last week was so busy. This is a fifth Tuesday which is not a normal CQ Tuesday so I will take the liberty of telling you what went down. You will need to excuse the few dodgy photos.
Scenting Gigs, The Rampage, and MMA.
We went to see George Ezra in Vienna at the beginning of the week. Fabulous baritone voice, supported by a six piece band, including trumpet and trombone. All black ensemble and ready to entertain us. He engaged so well with the audience, chatting between most of the numbers, played a number of guitars, and shook his hips. It was such a happy show. Being constantly bombarded with negativity from politics to our newsfeeds, it was a complete joy. ScentOf TheGig was Frederic Malle’s Portrait of a Lady. works great in a hot and sweaty atmosphere. I love pop music as much as I do other genres, and this was superb.
Friday night was The Red Bull Rampage. The free ride event of the year. Its a big thing in our house, and there were a lot of guys here watching it. And naturally it included hopping around on a bike in our living room. If you have never seen The Rampage – take a look RIGHT HERE. ScentOfTheRampage was the very last of my Chanel La Pausa 28 EdT. I only used it up because I am going to visit A Bottled Rose, in a couple of weeks and I know I am gonna get some more!
I went to my first live MMA event in Linz on Saturday evening. Mixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport. Standing and/or on the ground, using techniques from the martial arts and other combat sports. Been around since the early nineties, although I think the ancient Greeks did something similar. My trainer’s buddy, a professional fighter, and my daughter, B.londeswunder’s, kickboxing trainer, also MMA, were both competing. It was pretty hardcore. And they both won. I might go again. ScentOfTheMMA was Chanel’s Rue Cambon 31 EdT. I thought it might surround me with an air of calm. Thought. (photos underneath of Dominic Schober Gym 23 Vienna. After the win in Linz.).
Was a great week. I had been excited for George Ezra since the spring when we bought tickets. I had to vacuum up a lot of chip crumbs after The Rampage, and my heart had to calm down after the MMA. But you know – all I really wanna do is workout.
What puts you in a bad mood?
Loving Bussis
CQ
Love that you wore PoaL to the gig and kept it classy wearing Chanel for the fight.
My sister and I are going to see Tim Minchin on the 14th Nov. Not sure I have something comedy-appropriate, haha. Maybe I’ll wear Cuir de Lancôme as it was sooo good the other day.
Not being able to workout when it’s such a big and important part of your life is super frustrating, Val. I hope that changes before long. Unhelpful or aggressive people put me in a bad mood. Moving home means I’m encountering more of them than I would normally. Roll on Christmas.
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Hi Tara 🙂
Oh No worried, I was in the gym today, light cardio. Now in a much better mood. Ha! I bet you are meeting more than your fare share with the imminent move. Be kind. Like I would be. 😉 I have only heard of Tim Minchin, not more. I had better look him up. Isn’t CdL beautiful? I love it that the weather if finally cool enough to wear it. It is a perfume that doe not work well in the heat on me, at all. I don’t usually care too much, but in this case, yeah. Lots of love. xxxxx
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So Chanel was the winner of the week…which reminds me that I don’t own a single bottle of Chanel. I used to have Cristalle and No 19 in the eighties. Since then I seem to overlook Chanel, strange…
I hope the social events last week were kind of a compensation for not being able to go to the gym. Soon you’ll be back to your routine. Is your knee all right now?
I’m actually rarely in a bad mood. I get a bit annoyed when things don’t work out the way they were planned but there’s always plan B. I guess I’m the flexible control freak 😀
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Hey there Neva! Just thinking of you. Put out an APB on you over at APJ. You must be bussssy!
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Hey Marcella, that’s so sweet of you 🙂 Yes, last week was busy, I’ll jump over to the SOTD thread soon.
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First of all Neva I need to be clearer. I don’t get in a bad mood at anyone else, but I feel majorly in a crap mood in myself. You know? Hahaha – three social events on one week was most certain enough thank you! I loooooove Chanel, and it might be my most worn house. Hermès, Vero, and Malle all vying for top place! I wear little else to be honest. A flexible control freak? I really need to digest that. Lovely to see you. Big hugs xxxxxxx
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I fall into the rigid control freak and I seriously need to loosen up. Although, mostly I am just bossy with myself.
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That MMA is some pretty intense fighting for sure. Like you, I get terribly cranky when I am prevented from working out. Earlier this month I was felled by a particularly evil flu/pharyngitis crud. Two weeks no gym and then baby stuff only while I regained my energy. Brutal.
Also, just discovered I have an exceptionally low tolerance to all things IKEA. I despise shopping there. It’s crowded. Screaming, ill-behaved children. Arguing couples. Bad lay-out. Terribly lack-lustre design on many pieces. Stupid long checkout lines. Parking lot (which is the size of 17 airport runways) always crammed. Idiotic way to shop with dumb tickets and crappy little pencils. Annoying carts that won’t roll straight. I’d reached my limit after three trips last week. I had to call ‘customer service’ to change a delivery date. I was put on hold for…….40 MINUTES 🤯🤬🤬, after already being transferred once cuz the first ditz DID NOT KNOW how to change a delivery date. Apparently one needs a PhD to execute this high level procedure. But. A silver-lining was waiting. I had just received Portia’s Perfume Prize Pressie, and doused myself in a cloud of Caron Pour Homme. The lavender/vanilla refinement helped settle me. So did sending a scathing letter of complaint to that store that shall never be mentioned again.
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Hahahahahaha! IKEA. Yeah well, sometimes you just have to go there. Luckily it is right near where I deliver cookies in Salzburg. I can nip in and out if necessary. A scathing letter of complaint is so damn soothing. Yep. When we lose our optimum endorphins levels …. But may I suggest you stay clear of IKEA unless you have just finished your workout? Love, Val xxxxx
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Excellent idea! I apply that principle to my husband for any potentially onerous excursion. He’s an avid biker. Climbs all the really big hills around Mount Royal here. One and a half hours, pretty much every day, unless it’s raining or snowing too hard. I make sure he bikes before any dreaded expedition takes place and I pack loads of snacks for on the way. Keeps him quiet. Although, I could probably pack a proper Sunday dinner and a bottle of wine and I still wouldn’t get him into IKEA. It takes a special person.
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I don’t get at all cranky when I don’t work out, as non-exercising is my natural lazy state. If anything, I feel slightly anxious if I have committed to do some exercise on a given day. Those extreme sporting events looked hardcore but I know your family like a challenge! Nice choices of accompanying perfume, especially the rue Cambon for the boxing one. Our lives are so different I marvel at – and revel in – the fact that we are friends. But we have other gigs and perfume in common, and I would eat your cookies daily if I lived nearer Alti. See what I did there? And I didn’t even mean Aldi. 😉 x
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Vanessa! We have soooo much in common, and I would not swop our musical treffens for any extreme sport, and not only that, I would give up a week of workouts to visit with you. No. Not Alti. Noooooo. Never. Bussi. xxxxxx
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Vanessa’s two first sentences describe me to a T! 🙂
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you and MMA, somehow I cannot picture that 😀 I don’t think I can attend MMA, I struggle with violence of any kind 😦
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Oh yeah Fazal – sure. My kids did karate as an elite sport for 5 years. They went to boarding school where it was part of their curriculum. They were both with the national team for about four years. I saw them fight (kumite) many times. Of course it made my heart stop a thousand times, and I hated it when they got hurt. But loved it when they won. The MMA was more brutal, but it wasn’t my kids fighting. I will go again, as long as someone I know is taking part. Dunno about cage fighting though ….. 😉
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Cage fighting, ugh. I went once and the blood was everywhere 🤮
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I love that you wore such an elegant calm scent to a MMA fights… the contrary balance of that is really appealing. And thanks for the link to Rampage. It was mind blowing. Truly the sport for which helmet cameras were invented. (Though it all got a bit adrenaliney–even vicariously–and I had to go and watch a soothing baking show to calm down a bit. Where the worst that can happen is your tempered chocolate melts.)
I’d tell you several things that *really* get my goat. but I’m not sure how welcome political discussions are here!
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Crikey my dear – we can have private political discussions, and then decide if there is place for them here. Hahahahaha. Yeah – the Rampage is wild, although it does go on for too long. I would prefer to sit down and watch an hour of all the rides back to back. Great stuff though. Why thank you, RC31 was perfect. Mwah. xxxxx
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Everything puts me in a bad mood -LOL!
thankfully there are essential oils and beautiful perfumes to take the wild beast that I am 🙂
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TAME , not take!!!
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And knitting!
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Bonkers About Perfume is the knitter, not me, that is for sure.
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Yes!!!
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Oh no! Everything? More gym. 🙂 Yes, thank goodness for fragrance huh? It is what unites us. xxxx
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Like you, not working out leaves me down. I need the endorphins, and I just feel more energetic and more myself with the gym. I’m having a knee arthroscopy tomorrow, and am hoping I can still do upper body workouts while I’m healing. I enjoy music concerts tremendously, and also watching MMA fights. I really admire the intense training and skills the athletes have. My former trainer is a MMA fighter and watching him train and prepare for a fight is inspiring.
And Chanel, bliss and happiness!
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Of course you can still do upper body workouts. I knooooow – The training they do is awe inspring I love doing weights. It makes a huge difference to how I feel and to my body. Good luck with your arthroscopy. I have used the gym to change my perception of things so often. Like in the days where my son got a slew of bad grades. Hahahaha. I went and worked out before discussing it with him. Nothing is ever so dramatic after a good workout. Lots of love, Val. Xxxx
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Thank you!
And so true; a good workout puts the mind at ease and everything in better perspective.
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The older I get the more impatient and cranky. I thought ageing was supposed to bring calm and zen? Not in my thouse, though. I haven’t been exercising as regularly of Late cos of ‘issues’ won’t bore you. But I can wholeheartedly agree that exercising is a mood elevator and energy booster. I feel like a slug at the moment.
Love a bit of George Ezra, he’s doing a gig here next year. Now, what does drive me almost incandescent with rage is f@cking Ticketmaster. I reckon it’s rotten at its very core. I can only comment on this country’s site though. So guess who’s not going to see George? And lots of other acts? Unless of course I want to sell a relative or a limb and go on one of the ‘secondary’ sites. That will not be happening because as far as I’m concerned it is barely legal ticket touting. They can shove their inflated prices right where the sun will never shine.
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Phew, I feel better after that😀
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What? You have to use Ticketmsster? Can‘t you buy tickets from the venue? That is awful. There must be another way. Yeah – George was so good. I would go again. I also just got tickets for the New York group https://brassagainst.com/ In a really small jazz venue in Vienna. Cannot wait. Maybe you might have a chance to take some long walks …. sending you some good vibes. I do find myself getting impatient with stupid people, the older I get the more there seems to be. Hahahahaha. Tons of Bussis. Val xxxx
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That’s exactly my point, most gigs are sewn up by Ticketmaster and very few large venues have their own ticket office so the only way to get tickets is through that damned site, and their huge ‘service charge’ tacked on to each ticket further enrages me. Ha, I sound like a crazy woman foaming at the mouth.
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Out-bloody-rageous.
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Hi, Val!
You really classed up the joint at the Red Bull Rampage and the MMA event 🙂 George’s gig must’ve been real good, as well, I like this guy.
I gotta confess, there must be some truth in what they say about Pisces: I do get irritated easily at stupid/careless people, especially driving, the lazy ones, also me waiting in a queue, and tons of other things, I won’t even try to name them 🙂
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A couple of weeks ago I went to see a local indie act, it was Donny Benet 1980’s techno pop. The show and the music and the crowd made me such a good mood, I should go to more live music!! This singer is actually touring Europe again, Paris Amsterdam in a few places he is getting quite popular. I wore Santal Royale and I loved it dancing in the crowd I got a good whiff lol. Music, perfume, friends and books all have that uplifting effect on me.
I hope you healing well Val and can continue your workouts and of course your perfume choices are beautiful xxxx take care Love Anna Maria
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I wonder if he is playing anywhere in my area? Sounds great. Oh – he played in Vienna in July. Guess I missed that. 😦 Don´t think for a second that I haven’t found ways to work out Anicasunny. I have. But it is not the “death or glory” style I prefer. Sure it is healing, thanks. Good live music is the best. I don’t get to go to many gigs but make sure that they are good ones when I do. Mwah. xxxx
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Um, this too. My self imposed 3 weeks off is in week 2 and I am ready to slam some bodies. I HAVE to cut this short and return before I implode.
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Val, your introductory part somehow persuaded me that the rest of the week you were going to describe would be as frustrating as (for you!) not being able to exercise. 🙂 So I was glad to realize by the end that it was a good week (and a very fragrant one to that).
Enjoyed reading about your week.
These days the main point of frustration for me is not being able to move through an important project I’m doing at work as soon as I want to (or, actually, need to). I know that this is just job, not the end of the world, but it seriously skews everything. Oh, well… There are much worse things to be upset with, so I shouldn’t complain.
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Oh I am never really in a bad mood per se. But not being able to train was frustrating. However – I had not had a break from it in 14 months and my body just said stop for a minute. I started again yesterday with my trainer. Scuse the tardy reply btw. I am glad my only work pressure is cranking out cookies. Mwah. 💋❤️
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